This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 117.
Let's polish and professionalize your business English for B2B.
Welcome to the Business English podcast from All Ears English.
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Maybe when I have made phone call, like, hmm, that's a good question.
Do you mean on the phone or by email? Either way, really.
Either way. Because what we're talking about today could also make your emails sound more polished and professional or your presentations or your phone calls.
So, yeah. Yeah. Well, I think nowadays we are looking to reach out to work with companies, actually, to help companies improve their employees' English.
And so now we're moving to a new level here at All Ears English and looking to partner with companies to And so now we'll need to be a little more polished and professional.
Oh, that's a good example. So maybe instead of saying like, we want to work with you, you might say like, working with you would be optimal.
Something a little more polished, a little more professional.
I'll need your help with these emails here, Aubrey.
Uh-huh. So that's what we're talking about today.
There are interesting options. This is sort of an active passive voice thing, but also we often need a gerund phrase to use the passive voice in a very polished professional way.
We are going to give you guys all the details you need to make this very clear and answer a very intelligent listener question about this.
We have so many Intelligent listeners. I love it.
They're so smart. They're so engaged. We love you guys.
We love you guys. But first, Aubrey, before we get into this, we should let our listeners know where they can go if they want kind of a more dynamic listening experience for the podcast.
Absolutely. Yes, you guys. If you don't have the app, you are missing out, especially now that we have created it for Android as well.
Whether you use iOS or Android, go to allearsenglish.com app.
It's the best way to listen to the All Ears English podcast because you can follow along with the transcripts, save vocabulary.
And even, I mean, it really is the best way to be able to access that vocabulary really quickly.
Yes. Just takes a little more time if you're going to write it into a notebook or something else you could do.
Oh my gosh, I know. When I was on my trip in Egypt, I had my little language cards, my Arabic cards all over the city with me going through practicing before we talked to the taxi driver, right?
Oh boy, you're such a nerd. I'm such a nerd.
I'm such a nerd. But how nice would it have been to have an app?
I could just go see my list right inside an app on my phone.
It just would have been easier. Wow. So that's what you get with the app, guys.
So go to allersenglish.com slash app and check it out.
Okay, Aubrey, can you read the listener question so we can get clear on what we're answering today?
Yes, let's do it. So this is from Amy in Taiwan.
She says, Dear Lindsay, may I make one suggestion to have a special topic for my daughter?
She is anxious to clarify. Here is the sentence.
If you want to improve your efficiency, more attention must be paid to achieving a balance between study and rest.
Why can't we use? More attention must be paid to achieve a balance between study and rest.
Can you make an episode for this topic? Appreciated, Amy from Taiwan.
Good question. Oh, wow. Very sophisticated question.
This is a question that most native speakers will be stumped by, to be honest.
Yes, absolutely. Right. One sounds right to natives and one sounds just the tiniest bit off.
But most people couldn't explain why. And it is not a glaring error.
So first thing, don't let this prevent connection.
Right. You could use both of these and no one's going to bat an eye.
It's not a mistake to worry about, but one will sound just a little more correct.
And we're going to let you know why that is.
Yes, I love it. Okay, so what do we need to know?
What is the most basic? Let's just give our listeners a little preview of what our final recommendation is going to be just so they can know what to pay attention to today.
Aubrey, why don't we do that first? I love that idea, right?
Let's give you kind of an overview. Yeah.
So that then all of the details we give will be clear as we explain all the details.
Right. So basically that first sentence.
Right. We say attention must be paid to achieving.
And in that sentence, achieving is a gerund.
And we do. What is it that way? Real quick, what's a gerund?
Real quick. And that we are going to go into all those details, but it is verb, I-N-G, that's acting as a noun, right?
So achieve is a verb. You add I-N-G and often like here, achieving is a noun, a gerund.
Good. Okay. So, but this other sentence, we don't say attention must be paid to achieve with an infinitive because the meaning is slightly different because there it means in order to achieve.
Yeah. We don't use paid. We don't collocate paid with in order to instead.
I would say something like more effort must be given to achieve a balance if we want to use to achieve as an infinitive.
Yeah. And what can we always add, Lindsay, to really make sure that's clear?
In order to. And I know I do this as a native speaker.
I do too. If I think it's not going to be quite clear that I'm trying to communicate that something is for the purpose of something else, I will add in order to.
I also just want to say that I really like the active voice.
I do too. You have to do this to do this, right?
It is more clear and direct sometimes. Yeah.
And to be honest, like in writing, at least in academic writing, they tend to recommend the more active voice generally.
But there is a place for the passive voice and we're getting into this today.
But the overall message today is going to be what, Aubrey?
Which one should we go towards here? Which one should we be using?
The gerund phrase does have a little more polish, a little more professionalism.
And you can use gerund phrases in both active and passive voice, depending on sort of the feeling you're wanting to give, right?
It's interesting. I feel like when I was learning academic writing at the university, it was passive voice that was encouraged more.
But like for IELTS writing, it is active voice, especially if...
You're having to give your opinion and they want you to specifically say, I believe this.
I think this. You need that vocabulary to make your opinion very clear.
Right. So it really depends, especially in like English classes when we were describing a text.
They didn't want us to use a subject pronoun and say, I think the text says that.
Right. They wanted that passive voice. Right.
They didn't want the I. Yeah. And that's active voice to have that subject pronoun.
So it's interesting. But when it comes to business English, either your emails or what you're saying, of course, both are accepted.
And you made a good point, Lindsay, that it depends on the message you want to convey.
How direct do you want to be? How clear do you want to be?
Or if the goal is a little more polished, a little more professionalism, like those two examples I gave you that you might send to an advertiser.
One was active voice, like... You know, you should work with us.
We want you to work with us. And the other sounds a little more professional to say like working together would be optimal.
For both companies or something, right? Yeah, something like that.
So it's interesting. It all depends on It depends on what stage you're at in that email collaboration, right?
If it's a first, you know, for example, if it's a first reach out email, I might tend towards that passive voice.
It's a little more passive, right? It's a little more indirect versus when we get closer to a final negotiation, right?
Maybe I'm on a more casual level and starting to be more direct, right?
Yeah, it's interesting. So if the goal is polish, professionalism, yeah, use these gerund phrases.
Absolutely. If the worry is that you're writing to a coworker who might misunderstand and not realize what you actually want them to do, stick with that active voice.
Just be clear and tell them what you want them to do.
Especially with it. And this is kind of getting into a side topic, right?
When do we use the active versus the passive voice?
Might be good for a future episode. So let's plan to revisit that, guys.
Hit follow right here on this podcast. We'll come back to that because we have more to say on that topic.
Let's come back to this Jaron phrase. Tell us a little bit more about this here, Aubrey.
Yeah. So as we said, you know, that first sentence had a gerund phrase.
We're saying if you want to improve your efficiency, more attention must be paid to achieving a balance between study and rest.
And our gerund phrase here is achieving a balance between study and rest.
And what makes that a gerund phrase? Like we said, we're going to talk about, well, let's just go into it, right?
What is a gerund? In this sentence, achieving is a gerund, a verb that ends in ing, but that is acting as a noun in a sentence.
Let's give another example of one of those, Lindsay.
So for example, you know, swimming is fun.
We could say that, right? Swimming is a gerund there.
Yeah. It's no longer a verb. It's being used as a noun.
It's the thing that is fun. The verb in the sentence is, is.
Yes. To be. I love it. I love it. Or eating healthy feels great, right?
Yes. For example. And that's a gerund phrase, right?
Eating healthy is working as a noun, a noun phrase.
I love it. A gerund phrase because eats usually a verb, but you add ing, now it's a gerund, a noun.
Okay. Yeah, I love it. So good. And let's just touch base real briefly on the other phrase that our listener here sent in to us.
What do we think about that one? Yeah. So the reason we don't use it, this is interesting.
That phrase is more attention must be paid to achieve a balance.
We don't say it like that because the infinitive to achieve has a meaning of in order to has a slightly different meaning.
If you think about depending on what sentence came before that, the meaning could be totally different.
Right. If you're talking about if it says he does not get enough rest and then you say this sentence, it would be in order to achieve in order to get more rest in order instead of in order to achieve that balance.
Right. So you can see how it could mean something different depending on the context of the sentence.
So we really want to steer you guys towards that gerund, right?
That is the best, the best piece of this, you know, that's what we want you to come away with today.
Yeah. Yes, absolutely. Right. That's, that's why it sounds a little off to natives.
We don't say it that way because it's not that clear.
We'd probably need to use in order to, and depending on the sentences that came before and after the meaning could be different.
So yeah, stick with the gerund phrase. See details online.
Okay, Aubrey, I think we should give our listeners a few more examples.
You think so? Yes, absolutely. Right. Keep in mind, we often use gerund phrases when using the passive voice, and it's really useful in business English.
Like we were saying, ads polish professionalism.
It's perfect when you're wanting to impress or sound a bit more formal, maybe if you're making a presentation or in a meeting.
And so we'll give you the difference. We'll give you an active sentence and then that sentence in the passive and you be the judge.
Does one sound a little more polished, a little more professional?
Right. And I also use it if I want to be a little less direct, like we said, you know, you don't want to say you should save time.
You need to save time. Right. That's really what you're saying here by saying saving time is key and using the Jaron phrase.
Yeah. Actually saying we need to save time.
Right. That's our example. The first one with that infinitive, this active voice, we need to save time.
The way you can say that a little. Sometimes it's about politeness.
Sometimes it's about polish. Instead, you can use the gerund phrase saving time and say saving time is key.
And then it's just a little less accusatory, sort of a little more polite to just kind of say like, OK, guys, saving time is key.
Not pointing out anyone in particular. Let's just all work on saving time.
Right. yeah or lately i've been going to the recommendation is this right That's good.
So the recommendation is this. Let's do this.
Just to kind of... Not to point fingers.
The recommendation is let's all do this.
It sounds professional. It's polished. It works.
But again, another episode for another day.
What would be the other example? So here's another example.
The active voice with the... Well, we don't have an infinitive.
Just active voice. We must respect others.
Might be something that might be said in like an HR meeting.
Or, what could we say with adjourn? Or respecting others is vital.
So it really, it's about where are you putting the focus?
Are you putting the focus on we, meaning the people in this room, versus the act of respecting others?
Exactly. So you can see how it takes out the accusation.
It takes out which can feel harsh, which can feel offensive. unfair.
If anyone in the room who didn't do it and knows they didn't, you want to avoid that situation where someone raises hand is like, I think that I respect others.
My kids will do this sometimes, right? If I'm like, okay, can everyone be nice?
And one of them will be like, I was being nice.
You know, I'm talking to my son here, but like everyone.
That's so funny. I love that. All right.
Let's make this even more real for our listeners and put into play a role play here.
Put into play role play. Let's do it. This is interesting in the role play.
We're going to show you using Jaren phrases also helps you avoid parroting back what someone else says.
Often you need to make sure they they know that you understood what they said and you want to confirm that you got the message you understood, but you don't want to parrot it backward for word.
So you can use a Jaren phrase to do that in the role play.
We're going to show you how that works. Yeah, we always want to avoid just repeating back when someone has said that does not allow you to express your personality and connect guys.
And ultimately, that is our goal. So here we go.
So I am meeting with a new client. And that is you, Aubrey, right?
You are the new client. Okay, awesome. I'll start us out.
I want to make sure safety is a priority.
Absolutely. Ensuring the safety of our guests is of utmost importance to us.
Okay. And we need security guards posted at all exits.
Yes, of course. Posting of security personnel is included and they'll be at each exit.
Nice. So you can see how instead of parroting, we will make sure safety is a priority and saying back to me exactly what I said.
You're using a gerund phrase to sound very professional and polished, but also make sure that I see that you heard me, you understand what I need and you're going to do it.
Oh, 100%. Especially my first response. I really like that, right?
The way I came back, I rephrased it in a unique way, but a very professional way.
Absolutely. Ensuring the safety of our guests.
That is the gerund phrase, right? Ensuring the safety of our guests.
It starts with a gerund. Ensuring, you have the verb ensure, we add ing to make it a gerund.
And this whole phrase is working as the noun, ensuring the safety of our guests.
Yeah, I love it. I think this is especially useful when you're, yeah, when with B2B business, business to business, right?
When you're looking to, let's say, I don't know, when we were on our trip, we went to the beach near the Red Sea and it was kind of a cruisish atmosphere, but it was just on the beach.
And I could imagine clients, maybe companies looking to do retreats at that beach, at the beachside resort and coming in.
And you might say this, if you represent this resort, you know, ensuring the safety of our guests is of utmost importance.
Because your employees are going to be here at this resort.
It matters to you. Yeah, that's what I was imagining.
This role play. I didn't spell this out, but I was imagining two companies where I am planning an event.
Maybe I'm a wedding planner. Yes. And your company is providing security for this event.
And so this is B2B where I'm saying this is what I need to make sure this event that I'm planning has safety.
And you're the security company letting me know, yes, safety of guests is our utmost priority.
Posting security personnel is included. They'll be at each exit, right?
This is how companies speak to each other.
Yeah, fancy wedding, though. Who needs security at their wedding to do?
I mean, obviously, I plan weddings for the stars, right?
This is for, you know, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.
Would I work for anyone less rich, Lindsay?
It's hilarious. I love it. Oh my God, so good.
And then the second piece, right, that I responded, you said, and we need security guards posted.
Again, posting of security personnel, as you said, Aubrey.
So that's good stuff. Oh, so good. And I like that you were also thinking of B2B, business to business negotiations here.
It just feels very business to business here.
So I know a lot of you guys, our listeners, do work.
You do contract with companies. You sell to companies as a company, right?
Yeah, absolutely. So super useful. Yes, definitely.
You guys are going to. There are always options with, there are often options with grammar, vocabulary, the way you paraphrase, whether you use active or passive voice.
And it is very high level to know which to use in some of these situations, right?
When there are options. So this is one where using gerund phrases adds polish and an air of professionalism, especially with B2B business.
So it's vital that you know how to do it.
Yeah. Polish and professionalized. So good.
So guys, go ahead and hit follow right here on the Business English Podcast.
And excited to see you on the next episode, Aubrey.
Have a good day. Awesome. Thanks, Lindsay.
Bye. Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
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